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NY state Sen. Kevin Parker sued for rape under Adult Survivors Act, which he voted for
By
Jon Campbell
Published Nov 20, 2023
Modified Nov 20, 2023
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Photo courtesy of the NYS Senate Flickr account.
By
Jon Campbell
Published Nov 20, 2023
Modified Nov 20, 2023
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New York state Sen. Kevin Parker of Brooklyn is facing a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault in 2004 — a suit made possible by the Adult Survivors Act, which Parker voted in favor of twice.
A Brooklyn woman, Olga Jean-Baptiste, filed the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Friday, alleging Parker raped her in her apartment when she was helping the longtime senator coordinate assistance for flood victims in Haiti.
Parker has not commented on the claim, which was first reported Sunday by amNewYork. His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Attorneys for the woman filed suit under the Adult Survivors Act, a 2022 state law that opened a one-time, yearlong window allowing people to sue their alleged abusers in civil court and seek monetary damages, regardless of when the abuse occurred.
The suit would not have been possible without the law, due to a five-year statute of limitations. Jean-Baptiste, who was 31 at the time of the alleged incident, lodged the complaint just before the end of the law's lookback window, which closes Thursday.
Parker, a Democrat, was first elected in 2002. His district stretches from Flatbush to Bergen Beach.
The state Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Adult Survivors Act last year, with Parker voting in favor. He also voted for it in 2021, when it came to a vote in the Senate but not the Assembly.
The law has led to more than 2,600 cases filed since it took effect, according to the state Unified Court System. Among those named as defendants in the cases are an array of powerful people and institutions, including the state prison system, former President Donald Trump, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs (who quickly settled his case) and comedian Bill Cosby.
In a statement, Bob Hilliard, an attorney for Jean-Baptiste, said his client "continues to suffer from the trauma that only survivors of unwanted sexual abuse can fully understand."
"A jury will hear firsthand the full details and horribleness of what happened," he said.
Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said the allegation against Parker was "alarming" because she's "known him to be a man of integrity and a community-oriented public servant."
In a statement, she said she supports "alleged victims of sexual assault speaking out" and takes "allegations extremely seriously."
"With that, I am also adamant that any alleged offenders deserve their constitutional rights to due process, and are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law," Bichotte Hermelyn added.
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat from Yonkers, called the allegations “extremely disturbing.”
“We take them very seriously and we will continue to monitor this situation and we will take appropriate action as more information is learned,” said the spokesperson, Mike Murphy.
The state Legislature is scheduled to return to Albany in January for its annual session.
This story was updated to include Jean-Baptiste's name, a statement from her attorney, and a statement from Bichotte Hermelyn.
Tagged
new york state
new york city
brooklyn
courts
Politics
kevin parker
lawsuits
state senate
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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